Comments on: Hellos and Goodbyes

By: Reginald Shepherd

Reginald Shepherd — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:52:21 +0000

Dear Matt,
Well, Pensacola is pretty carbonated (sugary sodas are big here, though sweet tea is almost as big), but it’s no utopia. We do have a billboard on the side of one of the main roads that reads “Pepsicola–it’s the real thing.”
Dear M. Reich,
If anything, Fort Walton Beach is probably more conservative, becasue there’s a military base there. The military is very big in this area, between Pensacola Naval Air Station and Eglin Air Force Base (which I’m told is one of the biggest AFBs in the country). I don’t know much about Navarre, but I think it’s relatively affluent. But the Redneck Riviera (as it’s sometimes called) is pretty all of a piece.
Thanks for your good wishes about my health.
Take good care.
peace and poetry,
Reginald

By: M Reich

M Reich — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:15:44 +0000

Hi Reginald,
Ugh, thanks for the info. We’re looking into the Superfund sites now that you’ve informed us.
The conservative atmosphere has me re-thinking. I don’t know how long I could stand that.
I wonder how the communities are further along the coast, like Fort Walton Beach and Navarre,
etc. We’re coming for a month this summer to check things out, so I’ll take a look at the
billboards in those communities, too!!
Thanks for your correspondence. I wish you the best of health!
Hi Matt,
I love your carbonated utopia comment! It reminded me of when I was a kid, I loved orange soda
so much that I always fantasized that our homes and buildings were filled to the roof with orange
soda and we swam all day and drank as much of it as we wanted. Ahhhh….that refreshing orange
soda utopia…….
M

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:01:12 +0000

When I was a kid I thought the town was called Pepsicola. I envisioned some kind of carbonated utopia. I was sadly mistaken.

By: Reginald Shepherd

Reginald Shepherd — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:15:24 +0000

Dear M. Reich,
Well, the sand is sugar white and the water is turquoise/emerald–truly stunning, as I was reminded a few months ago, when I went to the beach for the first time in years. There are lots of water activities, and lots of outdoor activities in general (though the area is actually very polluted, with tons of Superfund sites–it’s all chemical pollution, so it’s not visible in the lush, poisoned landscapes). But as for “a lively arts community,” there is none. The Pensacola Museum of Art is better than you’d think it would be (we’ve seen Warhol and Rodin exhibits there), but in general, Pensacola is very, very conservative (”Pro-Family, Pro-Gun, Pro-Life,” as one campaign billboard put it), very working class, and very lacking in cultural amenities. There’s good food, though our favorite barbecue restaurant closed last year. As I wrote, I just stay in my house most of the time–it’s a much nicer house than we could afford almost anywhere else. The cost of living is very reasonable.
When I was first considering moving here, I didn’t think I’d be able to live here without going crazy, but I’m surprised at how well I’ve adapted, though I don’t always know whether that’s a good or a bad thing.
Take good care, and good luck.
all best,
Reginald

By: M Reich

M Reich — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:13:14 +0000

Hi Reginald,
I just found your note in this blog b/c i have pensacola as a daily google alert. I want to move to Pensacola for the primary reason of the beaches and water and am sad to see that the area is “conservative and dull.” I hoped to find a lively arts community and plenty of water activities. Am I delusional?